De blauw

‘More officers on the beat!’ is what we hear from all sides, but is that really what we want? And what consequences do we risk?

How does a police officer actually decide what is ‘suspicious’ and what isn’t? As a society, how do you make sure that everyone is treated equally? What is need for the police to be there for everyone?

The police are regularly criticised for unclear complaints procedures, ethnic profiling, humiliating treatment or the fact that officers are rarely brought before court. At the same time, we seem to forget that the police are made up of people too. After a short period of training, officers on the beat are confronted with a wide variety of (complex) cases. Under immense pressure, they make split-second decisions that can have traumatic consequences, not only for civilians, but also for themselves.

De blauw is a musical site-specific performance about the police based on interviews with police officers, youth workers and young people from Ghent. It will be shown outdoors in neighbourhoods all over Flanders. The performance analyses how the police operate today and creates a many-voiced, many-layered portrait of a society in crisis. A converted police van forms the scenery, ready to be unfolded in streets, on small squares and playgrounds, and at ‘trouble spots’.